There are known systems based on the code division multiple access (CDMA). In such systems, the information to be transmitted is modulated with an individual code for each transmitter, a so-called pseudo random sequence. Thus, the same frequency can be used as the carrier frequency in different transmitters. As a result of the modulation, a code-modulated wideband signal is generated. This signal is received in the receiver, and an attempt is made to synchronize the receiver with it. The receiver knows the code used in the transmitter and uses it in the acquisition of the signal. This code can thus be used to distinguish between signals from different transmitters, even though the carrier frequencies were substantially the same. In the acquisition, a correlation technique is normally used to correlate the received signal with a code corresponding to the code used by the transmitter and generated in the receiver. The correlation result is examined to find the timing and/or frequency of the incoming signal corresponding to maximum correlation, i.e. the best alignment. However, interference may distort the correlation result or cause false maximum points, wherein the acquisition is not necessarily successful. For this, solutions have been developed to find the correct timing and frequency e.g. by prolonging the correlation time. However, particularly with weak signals, such as when signals transmitted by satellites are received indoors, acquisition by a conventional receiver would require several hours or even days, which, in practical situations, would make it even impossible to use such receivers indoors.
One known system applying the CDMA technology is the Global Positioning System (GPS) comprising several satellites orbiting the earth. Each operating satellite of the GPS system transmits a so-called L1 signal at the carrier frequency of 1575.42 MHz. This frequency is also indicated with 154f0, where f0=10.23 MHz. Furthermore, the satellites transmit another ranging signal at a carrier frequency of 1227.6 MHz called L2, i.e. 120f0. In the satellite, these signals are modulated with at least one pseudo sequence. This pseudo random sequence is different for each satellite. In each satellite, for modulating the L1 signal, the pseudo random sequence used is e.g. a so-called C/A code (Coarse/Acquisition code), which is a code from the family of the Gold codes. Each GPS satellite transmits a signal by using an individual C/A code. The codes are formed as a modulo-2 sum of two 1023-bit binary sequences. The first binary sequence G1 is formed with the polynomial X10+X3+1, and the second binary sequence G2 is formed by delaying the polynomial X10+X9+X8+X6+X3+X2+1 in such a way that the delay is different for each satellite. This arrangement makes it possible to generate different C/A codes by using identical code generators. The C/A codes are thus binary codes whose chipping rate in the GPS system is 1.023 Mchips/s. The C/A code comprises 1023 chips, wherein the repetition interval (epoch) of the code is 1 ms. The carrier of the L1 signal is further modulated by navigation information at a bit rate of 50 bit/s. The navigation information comprises information about the “health”, orbit, time data of the satellite, etc. In the GPS system, the codes used in the modulation of the L1 signal are not particularly efficient in view of eliminating the above-presented narrow-band interference. Thus, the cross-correlation caused by a strong spurious signal in the weaker signal to be received may prevent the receiver from acquiring this signal to be received.
The receiver must perform the acquisition e.g. when the receiver is turned on and also in a situation in which the receiver has not been capable of receiving the signal of any satellite for a long time. Such a situation may easily occur e.g. in portable devices, because the device is moving and the antenna of the device is not always in an optimal position in relation to the satellites, which impairs the strength of the signal coming in the receiver. Also, in urban areas, buildings affect the signal to be received, and furthermore, so-called multipath propagation may occur, wherein the transmitted signal comes into the receiver along different paths, e.g. directly from the satellite (line-of-sight) and also reflected from buildings. Due to this multipath propagation, the same signal is received as several signals with different phases.
The above-mentioned acquisition and frequency control process must be iterated for each signal of a satellite received in the receiver. Consequently, this process takes a lot of time, particularly in a situation, in which the signals to be received are weak. To speed up this process, some prior art receivers use several correlators, wherein it is possible to search for several correlation peaks simultaneously. In practical solutions, the process of acquisition and frequency control cannot be accelerated very much solely by increasing the number of correlators, because the number of correlators cannot be increased infinitely.
In some prior art GPS receivers, FFT technique has been used in connection with conventional correlators to determine the Doppler shift of the received GPS signal. These receivers use the correlation to restrict the bandwidth of the received signal to 1 kHz. This narrow-band signal is analyzed with FFT algorithms to determine the carrier frequency.